


The Packs Pup

by brucebannerfangirl



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU, Brief mentions of Cora, Cora died in the fire, De-Aged Stiles, Derek is a chef, Erica and Boyd are alive, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kidnapping, M/M, Magic, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Nurturing Erica, Possible Character Death, flash backs, this is going to hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-23
Updated: 2014-11-02
Packaged: 2017-12-24 09:46:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/938496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brucebannerfangirl/pseuds/brucebannerfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anon on Tumblr gave me this prompt: </p>
<p>Prompt! Stiles somehow gets de-aged, and he doesn't remember anything past the age he regressed to. The pack finds him and doesn't know what to do with him. Stiles being the hyperactive kid he is, makes the pack's life difficult and shenanigans occur. (It would be awesome if it was an AU where Boyd and Erica didn't die. >.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Grammatical and spelling errors fixed thanks to my friend Kitty :)  
> If you do spot any that may have been looked over please notify me and I'll change it.  
> Thank you and enjoy.

Stiles woke up feeling awfully cold. He slowly opened his eyes to discover that he was not tucked away in his comfy bed anymore, but nestled into a small den like place. His eyes prickled with tears as he looked around his unfamiliar settings. “Mom!” he called, walking out into the open woods, his voice shaking horribly. “Papa!” he called out. He received no answer.

 

Stiles sniffled pulling large red hoodie around him tightly trying to keep himself warm. Tears silently fell down his cheeks as he cried for his parents. He knew better than to wander off if he didn't know where he was, his Papa had taught him that. Stiles took to walking a few yards away from the den, calling for his parents but again received no answer. He went back to the den, a pair of jeans and boxer briefs lay in the dirt while he wore an overly large t-shirt and a thick red hoodie. They weren't his clothes, but he supposed they would keep him warm until his parents came for him.

 

Stiles made a makeshift bed out of the jeans; laying them out with the pant legs together so he wasn't laying on the cold dirt floor. He pulled the socks out of the shoes and put them on his feet, rolling them up all the way they came almost up to knees. Stiles laid down on his makeshift bed, curling up and as best he could and pulled the hoodie around himself, tucking his little feet inside too and laid there crying until he had exhausted himself and fell asleep.

 

The sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs woke Stiles with a jolt. Someone -or something- was making it’s way over to the small den. Stiles pulled the hood over his head, doing his best to hide himself. A soft, feminine voice called out his name, “Stiles! Stiles are you over here?” she called. Stiles didn’t know this voice, but he peeked out from the hood to see if he could see the face that belonged to the voice. He couldn't see her, so he silently crawled out of the den and peeked around where the voice had come from.

 

A blonde woman was standing about a yard away from him. She was wearing sweat pants, tennis shoes, and a heavy sweatshirt. “Stiles!” she called again. “Are you-” she paused when she turned around spotting Stiles peeking around a mound of dirt. Her brown eyes softened as she slowly approached him. Stiles shied away from her, backing as far into the den as he could.  

“It’s okay, little guy.” he said softly trying to coax him out.

“Who are you?” Stiles asked, his voice shaking slightly.

“My name is Erica.” she said. “Do you wanna come out of there maybe? I can get you back to your family.” Her voice was full of promise.

 

Stiles hesitated for a moment before nodding and crawling out. He wanted to be with his mom and dad real badly. “What’s your name, little dude?” she asked, crouching down to eye level.

 

Stiles gave her a confused look. “You called my name just now. I’m Stiles. Stiles Stilinski.” he mumbled softly while looking at his feet. “Can I go home now?” he asked. Tears filled his eyes again and slowly ran down his cheeks. He began to wipe them away with the long sleve of the hoodie. “I want my momma and papa.” he sniffled.

 

Erica chewed his bottom lip in thought; she had to tell Derek about this. She pulled out her cell phone, hoping to get at least a little service, but unfortunately they were too far into the woods to receive anything. She looked back to the crying child and cupped his little cheek, “It’s going to be okay, Stiles. I promise everything will be fine, okay?” she smiled encouragingly at him. The boy just nodded and sniffled. “I have to make a stop at a friends before you can go home though, is that okay?” she asked. The boy just nodded again.

 

She reached out to pick him up but he quickly back away, his cheeks turning red from embarrassment rather than from crying. She quirked an eyebrow and looked over to the small den, a pair of jeans, a pair of shoes and… underwear. ‘Oh, that’s why he backed away.” She smiled softly at Stiles. She walked over and picked up the pair of boxer briefs and held them out for Stiles. “Just put these on for now, okay? I’ll carry you back to my friends.” she said. Stiles nodded and slipped into the large underpants holding them so they wouldn’t fall down. It was rather cute, Erica thought as she picked him up. She held Stiles so he was resting against her chest while her arm supported his bottom and hand placed firmly on his back.

 

Stiles watched over Erica’s shoulder as they left the dense forest. “Thank you.” Stiles murmured against Erica’s sweatshirt. She grinned and patted the boys back gently. “No problem, kiddo.”

“Are we almost there?” Stiles asked before yawning tiredly.

“Just about. How are you feeling?” she asked softly.

“I’m tired and hungry.” he answered.

“We’ll get you something to eat soon, maybe give you a quick bath too.” she said, only half joking. Stiles didn’t smell very good at all, he had a faint almost sulfur like smell that mixed in with his normal scent. Stiles just gave a tired hum of approval before drifting off again.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Arriving at the Hale house, Erica kicked at the front door and waited for someone to answer it. Derek was the one to answer and his eyes immediately found little Stiles, who was fast asleep in Erica’s hold. He quirked an eyebrow at her, “Is that… Stiles?” he asked. The child had the same scent of Stiles but something else was there, a very unpleasant scent. Erica nodded and walked into the house.

 

The Hale house stood proudly once again, the exterior almost identical to the original house but interior of it was much more modern. It was home for the pack, Erica and Boyd shared a room, for obvious reasons, Isaac had his own room but he stayed over at Scotts most of the time, and of course Derek had the master bedroom to himself. There were plenty of guest rooms to spare, so space was not an issue, which was good because Stiles could sleep in his own room as long as he stayed there.

 

“What happened to him?” Derek asked, following Erica to the living room who then carefully set Stiles down on the soft couch to sleep a bit more.

“I’m not sure Derek, I’m no expert with this stuff Stiles is… Well, so is Deaton.” she answered. “Should we bring Stiles over to Deaton? Maybe he can figure out what’s wrong.” she suggested.

 

Derek nodded in agreement, “Yeah, but maybe he should come here. I don’t want anyone to risk seeing him and recognizing who it is, even if they don’t believe it.”

 

Erica nodded and looked over at the sleeping boy. Stiles managed to maneuver his thumb into his mouth and was sucking on it gently. She smiled warmly, “He’s so cute.” she said softly before looking back at Derek. “He’s going to need new clothes, and when he wakes up he going to need to eat.”

Derek gave her a questioned look. “Okay?”

Erica rolled her eyes, “Go get Boyd and-” she paused and snickered. “What am I even thinking, Derek, go cook up something filling and healthy for Stiles when he wakes up. I’ll call Isaac and Scott and they can get him clothes.”

Derek scoffed at her, “Fine, but you better wash those cushions because he stinks.” and he disappeared to kitchen.  

 

Erica pulled out her phone and called Isaac’s cell.

“Hey, Erica! Scott and I were just about to go out looking for Stiles again.”

“Don’t bother looking for Stiles.”

“Did you find him? Is he okay?” It was Scott who asked.

“Stiles is… Younger. Like, a lot younger- and he doesn't seem to remember us. I don't really have time to explain right now, but I need you guys to pick of some things for him.”

“Yeah sure, what does he need?” Isaac asked.

“He needs clothes, something like a five or six year old wear. He’ll need pants and shorts, shirts, should probably get him a few sweaters, pajamas and underwear. Oh! Pick up some stuffed animals and toys he can play with too.”

“Sure thing, we’ll be there as soon as possible.”

 

With that done, Erica sat down on the floor next to Stiles and gently pet his hair. He was so adorable, being all small and stuff. Stiles let out a muffled “Momma.” and she frowned slightly when she remembered Stiles had asked to see both his parents and not only his dad. What will happen if Stiles never goes back to normal? His little heart will be crushed when he finds out his mom had passed away. She pushed those thoughts away and focused on Stiles in the present. “Everythings going to be okay Stiles.” she whispered, running her fingers through the soft brown hair.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek prepares lunch and Stiles approves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is starting soon and I have other works to work on too so chapter will likely be more spaced out depending on when I get time to work on stuff.

Stiles slept for about an hour before he woke up again, his head now on a soft lap. He would have thought it was his mom’s lap, but the sweatpants his head rested on were the ones Erica had worn when she found him. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes tiredly before sitting up. Stiles smiled up at Erica and his stomach growled loudly, making it’s need for nourishment present. He blushed brightly and Erica giggled, “Come on, Stiles. Derek made you something to eat.” and stood up, holding out her hand for Stiles to hold.

 

Stiles hopped off the couch, the oversized underpants falling to his knees. His face turned even redder and he quickly lifted them back up holding on to them with one hand and grabbed hold of Erica’s hand with other.

 

Erica bit back a laugh, not wanting to upset the poor kid so she pretended not to have noticed it. “Ready?” She asked smiling down at Stiles. He nodded shyly and they walked to the kitchen.

 

The kitchen was full of homely smells and fresh ingredients. Stiles’s stomach growled again, demanding it be fed the food he smelt. He looked around the kitchen to see what exactly it was he smelt. A tall, hairy man was standing in front of a large pot stirring the contents slowly. The man was very intimidating to Stiles and he pushed himself closer to Erica’s side.

 

“Stiles is awake,” Erica announced promptly, lightly urging him to step forwards. The man stopped stirring the contents and turned to face them, glancing down at Stiles with a stone cold expression.

 

“I know. How is he?” He asked, his voice was much lighter than Stiles thought it would be.

 

Stiles looked up at him and nodded slowly. “I’m fine, Sir.” he answered politely.

 

The man made a disgruntled expression, “You can call me Derek.” he said with a slightly sad expression.

 

“Okay, Derek.” Stiles said with a smile. His mother had told him that he had a contagious smile, so he smiled at Derek hoping he would smile and not look so sad.

 

Derek did smile, even though it was small one. “I made white chili, I hope that’s okay.” He said, looking at Stiles softly. It was hard for Derek to stomach; his boyfriend was now a small little child who had no memories of him.

 

“Yes, S-Derek.” Stiles said quickly, glancing up at the steam rising from the pot.

 

“It’s not too spicy, I hope.” Erica said, a bit concerned.

Derek shook his head, “It’s not, it’s mild at best.” he said. “Can you two go set the table while I finish it up?” he asked.

 

Erica nodded and grabbed enough bowls and silverware for the three of them. “Let’s go set the table, Stiles.” she said and brought Stiles to the table. She handed him the spoons for him to set while she placed down the rest of the bowls and silverware. Stiles had to stand on his tiptoes to place the spoons next to the bowls. When the table was set, Erica helped Stiles on a chair and giggled when he found he couldn’t quite reach the bowl. “I’ll go get you a cushion to sit on.” She left, leaving Stiles alone with Derek.

 

Stiles turned around on his chair, propping himself up on his knees and looked at Derek. “Do you cook a lot?” he asked.

 

Derek nodded, “Yeah, I do.” a small grin spreading on his face.

 

“Do you like to cook?” Stiles asked, resting his chin on the back of the chair.

 

“Yes I do, Stiles. I even cook for a living.” Derek said, turning to look at Stiles.

 

“My mama cooks a lot too.” Stiles said matter of factly. “She even lets me taste it sometimes.”

 

“Oh yeah? I get to taste my food too.” Derek was full on smiling now. He had always wondered if Stiles had always been as curious as was. “Would you like to be the first to try my chilli?”

 

Stiles nodded eagerly, a large smile on his face. Derek picked up a serving spoon and scooped up a small amount of chili before making his way over to Stiles, taking care not to spill any on the floor as he did so. “Blow on it, it’s a bit hot.” Derek warned, bringing the spoon up to Stiles’s mouth. Stilles blew on the chili before pressing his lips against the spoon and eating the chili. Stiles hummed happily, “It’s very tasty!” he said with a smile. Derek returned the grin and brought the pot over.

 

“Then it is ready to serve,” He said, pouring the chilli into everyone’s bowls.

 

Erica returned with a pillows from the couch and smiled at the two having heard everything. “I got you something to sit on, Stiles.” she said and Stiles carefully slid off the chair so she could place them down. After she set them down she lifted Stiles up and put on he quickly thanked her and adjusted himself on the cushions. They all sat down and silently started to eat their meal.

 

“Where’s Boyd?” Erica asked before taking another bite of chili.

 

“I guess he got another job. “ Derek answered. “He really wants to go to college.”

 

“I wish he wouldn’t work so hard. I hardly ever see him anymore.” Erica pouted.

“Unlike some people,” he paused looking at Erica slightly annoyed. “they want to go and get a good job in the future.”

 

Erica gave him a half hearted glare. “I told you I’m taking a break from school.”

 

Stiles sat there silently watching the two talk about things he didn’t fully understand. They mentioned people named Isaac and Scott who were supposed to bring stuff over. “I have a friend named Scott, too.” Stiles interjected, wanting to be part of the conversation. Erica and Derek looked at him sadly for a moment. “What’s your Scott like?” Erica asked, giving Stiles a soft smile.

“He’s funny, and a good runner, but he can’t read very fast like I can.” Stiles said. “Mama said I’m a very fast reader for my age. Scott is also very nice to everyone.” he added and trailed off to what they did at school together and how sometimes Scott would come over for the weekend or he would visit Scott. Erica and Derek smiled, it seemed Scott really hadn’t changed that much growing up. Just as Stiles was finishing his story about a field trip there was loud knocking at the door. Stiles thought he saw Derek’s eyes change colors but he wasn’t sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like always, thank you for reading I hope you enjoyed! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bath time and bubbles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to go up on Halloween but i got busy and couldn't post it so... Happy belated Halloween everybody!

Derek and Erica both stood up quickly and looked towards the front door. When Derek took a step toward the door Erica stopped him but silently putting her hand out as if to say ‘I’ll get it.’ Stiles silently watched as Erica went to answer the door, Derek moved closer to his side protectively. “What’s wrong?” Stiles whispered curiously. Derek just pressed a finger to his own lips. It was almost like Derek was listening to something too quiet for Stiles to hear.

 

Erica slowly opened the door and greeted the guests with a “What the fuck Scott and Isaac! We thought you were  predators!”

 

Stiles looked up at Derek with wide, shocked eyes. “She said a bad word, Derek.” he said. Derek attempted to hold in a laugh but failed epically. “What?” Stiles asked in confusion, “What’s so funny?”

 

Derek patted Stiles’s head gently, “It’s nothing, Stiles.” he reassured. “Let’s finish up eating, okay?” Derek sat back down and tucked back into his chili. Stiles did the same.

 

There was a quiet conversation being held in the living room, but Stiles couldn’t make out exactly what Erica and the other two were saying. He heard something about clothes for him, but after a few moments he gave up trying the listen and just focused on eating his chili.

 

Once Derek and Stiles finished eating Derek took care of the dishes and told Stiles to go back to the livingroom and stick with Erica. Stiles walked over to the livingroom as told and peeked in, looking at the new visitors that had caused a fuss earlier. There were two new people sitting on the couch and Erica was discussing stuff about how she found him. One of the guys was tan with dark hair, much like Scott the boy thought, and the other had lighter, wavier hair and paler skin. Stile walked into the room cautiously and Erica must have seen him because she turned her head to look at him.

 

“Hi, Stiles.” She smiled warmly at him. Stiles really liked her smile, it reminded him of his mothers only Erica wore more make-up than his mom did. “Did you get enough to eat?” she asked and walked over to him.

 

Stiles nodded, “Yes, it was very tasty.” His eyes wander over to his Scott look-a-like. “Who are they?” he asked in a whisper.

 

“That’s Scott,” she said and pointed to a Scott look-a-like. “And that’s Isaac.” she continued, and  pointed to the blonde with sharply defined cheekbones.

 

“Hi there, Stiles.” Isaac greeted kindly with a curt wave. Scott only stared at him with a bewildered look on his face. It made Stiles a bit uncomfortable, so he pressed into Erica’s leg in an attempt to be less noticeable.

 

“I have a friend named Scott.” Stiles pipped up timidly, waiting for a reaction.

 

“I bet he’s awesome,” Scott smirked, but there was slightly sad look swimming in his dark eyes.

 

Stiles nodded, “He’s very cool. He’s the best.” Stiles eye’s wandered to the bags that lay snug by Isaac’s feet.

 

Scott traces Stiles’s gaze to the bags and smiles as he picks one up. He quickly rummages around through it and takes out a plush wolf stuffed animal. “Here, this is for you.” Scott said holding the toy out for Stiles.

 

Stiles looked up at Erica for permission to accept the gift. She gave a curt nod and Stiles walked over and took the pup. It was very soft, much to Stiles delight. “Thank you.” Stiles said as he ran his small fingers through the soft material, savouring how the smooth fur felt against his cold skin. “I’ll call him Scott!” He piped up excitedly, petting the plush puppy more fiercely, “I know lots of Scotts now!”

 

Isaac shrugged, tilting his head towards Erica with a smug grin. “I thought it would be ironic.”

 

Derek returned to the living room, holding a small glass of orange juice for Stiles. His eyes landed on Stiles, still clutching onto the pup.

“Lookit!” Stiles cried out, thrusting up the plush animal excitedly for him to see, “Lookit what I got! I named him Scott, see?”

 

Derek stared down at Stiles with a surprised expression on his face, which soon melted into adoration. “Did you say thank you?” He asked lightly, and Stiles nodded eagerly in return.

 

“Yes, s- Derek.” Stiles said, regaining his meekness. He went back to sit down again, as if realising getting up so quickly was rude. Derek handed him the small glass and sat down besides him. Before anyone could speak, the door opened and a gust of cold wind burst through the door along with the tall figure of Boyd.  

 

“Hey, sweetie!” Erica greeted, happily making her way over to her boyfriend and giving him a light kiss on the lips. “How was work?” she asked casually.

 

Boyd shrugged his shoulders, “It was work, but hey I got my paycheck today so I thought-” he paused looking down at a boy who was looking up at him. “We could go on a date…” he finished and looked at Erica for an explanation.

 

“It’s a long story, I’ll explain later.” she whispered. “Stiles,” she said turning to the boy. “this is Boyd, my boyfriend. Boyd, this is Stiles.” she introduced.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Stiles.” Boyd said awkwardly, he gave Stiles a brief wave.

 

“Hello.” Stiles said timidly and hid behind Derek because Erica was now far away. Derek looked down at Stiles and smiled softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you two leaving?”

 

Boyd glanced at Erica nervously, unsure as to how to handle the situation.

 

“We’ll be back tomorrow, okay? I promise.” Erica said, her voice stammering slightly as her face flushed a deep cherry red. Stiles glanced down, his shoulders slumped, and nodded slowly. Erica kissed him on the forehead quickly before turning away with Boyd to leave.

 

Stiles stood up suddenly to follow after them, but tripped in the process and ended up spilling the glass of cool orange juice all over himself and the floor. The glass shattered loudly against the wooded ground and split into dozens of mirroring shards around him. Stiles flung the stuffed animal from him to ensure that it would not suffer the stain of the juice and landed clumsily on his bottom, cringing slightly from the pain.

 

The remaining members stared down at him in shock, all expecting him to burst out in tears except for Scott, who had witnessed this sort of trouble numerous times years before. The look of pain never left the poor kid’s eyes, but he looked up worriedly. “I-I’m sorry.” he stammered, his voice cracking.

 

Derek quickly dropped to knees and immediately began to pick up the large shards of the cup. “It’s okay, Stiles.” He reassured. “You’re not hurt, are you?” Stiles shook his head and rubbed his watering eyes. “No… ‘m fine…” he moaned, still shielding his face in his hands. Scott kelt besides him, careful to avoid the shards of glass, and gently patted his back. “Come on, buddy, you need a bath.”

 

As if the words were some form of curse, Stiles’ head shot up and shook furiously. “I don’t need one! I don’t!” He glanced over at the stuffed animal Scott. “Is Scott okay? He’s not messy too, is he?” He asked frantically.

 

“No, Scott’s fine, see.” Isaac held up the small plushy. “He’s just fine; no glass or juice got on him.” Stiles held out his hands reaching for his toy. Isaac shook his head and held it out of his reach, “Not so fast little man, you’ll get him all sticky.”

 

Derek came back from cleaning up the glass and put a hand on Stiles’s shoulder. “You need to take a bath or you’ll get all sticky. We got clean clothes for you to change into so you don’t have to wear this big old t-shirt.” Derek said calmly. “Come on, Stiles, lets get you cleaned up.” he urged.

 

Stiles shook his head stubbornly “No!” he groaned loudly.

 

“Baths are fun though, aren't they Scott?” Isaac said. Scott blushed slightly and nodded. “They’re the a lot fun.”

 

“Not fun!” Before anyone could reply, Stiles stood up and bolted out of the room. Derek, Scott and Isaac stared at each other for a moment in shock.

 

Derek sighed, “You two get the bath ready.” He stood up and followed Stiles into the kitchen where he had dashed off to.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Scott and Isaac decided to use the guest bathroom to start the bath, which did not end well at all. It took precisely eight minutes for Derek to get Stiles- five to locate his hiding spot after throwing the glass away, and three catch him. It was then he realised how dangerous and difficult children were. He would soon discover that they were even more difficult once he managed to get Stiles in the bath.

 

Before Derek managed to catch the kid, Isaac and Scott ran out to help him- leaving the water running. They managed to bring Stiles into the tub before it overflowed, but that was the least of their problems.

 

Scott and Isaac both needed to hold him down while Derek scrubbed him- a task more difficult than expected. Eventually, Stiles’ protests turned to angry growls as he splashed around. At one point, the kid managed to knock down the soap bottle. What was a nightmarish scrubbing soon turned into an exciting game for Stiles once half of the bathroom was filled with giant cloudy bubbles swimming and floating around them.

 

Stiles squealed with delight as they surrounded him and began splashing around with amusement rather than struggle. He pawed a bunch in his hand and threw them at Derek with all his might, which landed sloppily down his neck. He couldn’t help but grin in return and sploshed an even larger group of bubbles on top of Stiles’ head.

 

The magnificent bubble war went on for another ten minutes, and the group, even Derek, couldn’t stop giggling the entire way through. By the time they had finished, Stiles was clean and the rest of them were soaked. Isaac brought Stiles some clothes; a plain red t-shirt, underwear, and a pair of shorts. The clothes fit Stiles pretty good, though the shorts sagged a bit at the waist.

 

Scott and Isaac took Stiles to their room and began to play video games with him to keep him occupied for the time being. After playing for a but Stiles got tired and they brought him down to the guest room and tucked him in alond with his little Scott. As they left the room Isaac stopped in the doorway and looked at Stiles, a soft smile on his face. "He's so cute." Isaac said and glanced over to Scott.

"Yeah, I guess looking back on it he is adorable." Scott agreed and wrapped his arms around Isaac, resting his chin on the others shoulder.

Isaac grined, "Do you want kids?" he asked.

Scott's face flushed instantly, "Someday yeah," he cleared his throat. "I don't know if right now would be-"

"I'm not saying lets have a baby now, you goof." Isaac chuckled and kissed him. He jumped suddenly at the vibration from Scott's pocket.

"Sorry." Scott chuckled and looked at his phone. It was a text from Stiles's dad:

Someone told me they saw you and Isaac buying childrens clothes. Can I ask why?

 

~*~*~ Meanwhile~*~*~

 

 

Derek sat down on the sofa alone. His smile had vanished, and was replaced with a painful worrying. Even though everyone adored the child Stiles, Derek wished he would return to normal. He wanted his Stiles back; the man he loved. Of course, he still loved the child Stiles, but that Stiles didn’t know him. He was a stranger in his lovers eyes. He could not help but worry that Stiles would never return to the way he was.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure you're all waiting for Chris and the Sheriff to get involved soon . . .


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deaton has some not so good news

Scott rushed out to the living room, a very concerned look on his face. “Derek, we may have a really big problem right now!” He held out his phone for Derek to read. Derek’s expression hardened with a deeper trace of concern.

Derek’s eyes traced the message over several times before Scott pulled the mobile away from his gaze. The screen was lit up with another text from the sheriff, it read: Any news on where Stiles is?

“What do we do?” Scott asked, “We can’t just… let him think his son’s been kidnapped or something.”

“He already thinks that, Scott.” Derek said bitterly. “Telling him this would just complicate things. If you ask me, things are complicated enough.”

Scott scoffed. “Don’t bring your love life into this. This isn't about you.”

Derek shot Scott a harsh glare as he stood up, getting closer to Scott. “You don’t think I know that?” he growled, jabbing a finger into Scott’s chest. “I’m talking about the fact that the John does NOT know that we’re werewolves, the fact there’s possible some witch or other supernatural being out there hurting other people; you thick skulled idiot!”

“Okay, everyone back away and calm down.” Isaac said, quickly getting between the two. “We need to think of a plan -a story- that’s convincing so John will believe us.” Scott and Derek back away, still looking angrily at each other. “Now, does anyone have any relatives that live near here? We could say the clothes are for their kids.”

“I have a distant cousin that lives, like, two towns over.” Scott said and frowned suddenly. “We’d have to drag my mom into this mess to keep our story straight, though. I really don’t want her to get involved with this whole thing; she’s still a bit shaky about the whole werewolf thing.”

“It’s for the good of the pack, Scott.” Derek growled lowly. Before Scott could reply, Isaac intervened.

“What about Deaton?”

Scott thought for a moment with his tongue perched at the roof of his mouth in silence, “That could work. I could swing by in the morning and bring Stiles. He’d know what’s going on.”

Derek shook his head, “We can’t risk anyone seeing Stiles, remember? Deaton will definitely have to come here. Could you give him a call now? I know it’s late, but he probably knows what did this to Stiles.”

Scott sighed but nodded. “Alright, just give me a minute.” He text John back: No news on Stiles. Clothes were for Deaton's nephew, there was an accident and they needed stuff for their kid.

Derek craned his neck to see what Scott was typing and arched his brow. “It seems convincing enough. Try to keep it down on the phone- Stiles is asleep.”

Scott held his tongue from calling out Derek for being the one who yelled earlier and punched in the numbers rapidly on the cell. Derek left the room and headed to the guest bedroom where Stiles was still soundly asleep. The little guy slept in what seemed to be the most uncomfortable position, with is face over his arm and the other twisted behind his back while the covers were tussled messily around him, yet still seemed so peaceful. Derek smiled warmly and pulled up a chair next to the bed. He decided to spend the night there, just in case anything happened. Hopefully, if he had any luck at all, Stiles would return to normal before the sun rises.

Outside the room, Scott placed the phone down and looked back at Isaac. “I’m leaving in an hour to meet him. He said he may know what’s going on, but wants to check a few things before he’s certain.”

“Did he mention any cure or anything?” Isaac asked, sitting back down on the sofa.

Scott shook his head. “He didn't say much. He seemed a little concerned though.” He paused, glancing over him slowly, taking in every detail. He made his way over to Isaac on the sofa and kissed him lightly. “I’ll try not to be long.” He smirked. Isaac blushed.

“Try to come back before Stiles wakes up.” Isaac murmured, a faint smile curling at his lips.

 

* * *

 

Scott raced over to the animal clinic as fast as he could without getting pulled over. Now would be the worst time to meet up with Stiles’ dad, after all. When he reached the animal clinic, he didn’t expect to see Deaton in his office going through a pile of mixed up and disoriented files. “Do you need help finding something?” Scott asked wanting to speed things up.

Deaton’s head snapped up, as if only just noticing Scott in the room without hearing his approach. “No, no. I think I could have something here.” He muttered, his voice low. Scott hadn't heard him like this in a long time. “Ah, yes. Here we are.” Deaton said, nearly triumphantly as he held out an odd shaped key. It looked ancient, and the teeth of the key came from the sides as well as the bottom.

“What’s that for?” Scott asked. He had a key to every room in the clinic, except the heavy medication for the animals and he was certain that wasn't the key for that cabinet.

Deaton grinned, “Just follow me.” he said and walked into the storage room. The room was full of supply boxes, empty cages, and other things. “Move that crate for me will you.” Deaton said, pointing to said crate. Scott did as he was told with ease. To the teen’s surprise, there was what looked like a trap door, the lock clearly made for the key Deaton now possessed. Deaton unlocked the door and lifted the hatch, a dark stairway was revealed.

“How long has that been here? How come you never told me about it?” Scott asked, feeling a bit betrayed by Deaton lack of openness.

“It’s been here since I started this clinic. Now come on; I’ll need your help finding a file down here.” Deaton ordered and pulled out a small flashlight from his pocket and descended down into the dark sub-basement.

At the bottom, Deaton flicked a switch and the lights flickered on. The room was very organised: a few large bookshelves lined a whole wall, a desk in the far corner, and several filing cabinets. Scott was at a loss for words at the room, how could he not have noticed this place before? Deaton broke him from his thoughts as he said “I need a file labeled Shtriga.” Scott started searching the cabinet Deaton pointed him to.

It took almost half an hour for Scott to find the file. He held it out for Deaton, who had acquired two different files. “Let’s go.” Deaton said.

“What’s going on?” Scott asked quickly, “What’s happened to Stiles? Who did this to him?’

Deaton frowned. “I’m not entirely sure yet, but I have a hunch. If I’m right, then we could be in a lot of trouble around here. It’s called a Shtriga, have you heard of it?” Scott shook his head and Deaton continued. “I wasn’t- I’m not- entirely sure that this even exists. It’s a witch- well, vampire, technically speaking- The Evil Eye. These usually attack children, specifically infants, and drains them of blood.”

“Wait,” Scott said, trying to understand the given information. “So this thing drank Stiles’ blood and he turned into a child? Why?”

“She was probably trying to kill him at first,” Deaton explained, “The Shtriga is attracted to those who related to them. If we’re dealing with one of these cases, it could be a form of strigoi mort attacking members of it’s family.”

“You mean humans? I don’t understand what we’re dealing with here. Is it human?” Scott asked, puzzled.

“Yes and no.” Deaton said, “It possesses a corpse of a human, usually a woman. It is a demonic cousin to the common vampire, and hunts down other humans to suck the life out of. Some myths say that it traps the soul of that whom it possesses. Others say it goes after what’s left of the corpse’s family. The Shtriga is extremely dangerous, and if we are dealing with a strigoi mort then what we have on our hands is much more… complicated.”

“Wait. Vampires a real? I thought we didn't have to deal with that Twilight bullshit-”

“Scott. Focus.” Deaton interrupted, “Is there anyone with Stiles right now?”

Scott nodded. “Yeah, Isaac and Derek are with him. Do you know how we can… you know, fix him?”

Deaton sighed deeply and Scott tensed. It was the same tone of sigh that Deaton gave when he had to tell a frightened owner that they could lose their beloved companion. “Only the Shtriga can break the spell. The diminishing life force of the victim is directly connected to the source of the plague casted upon it.”

“What does that mean?” Scott asked, his heart rate increasing rapidly.

“It means,” Deaton said slowly, “If the Shtriga dies, then so will Stiles.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of stuff is gonna go down soon. Chris and Allison are going to be in the next chapter and they're gonna cause a shit ton of problems.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Argent's arrive and ANGSTY

Scott looked as if someone had slapped him in the face. The thought nearly stopped his pounding heart for a moment. “S-Stiles can’t die! How do we save him? Can we even turn him back to normal?” Scott asked fearfully, staring up at his mentor with wide eyes. Deaton frowned, glancing away for a moment in deep thought.

 

“I’m not entirely sure.” He sighed deeply, “Perhaps you can make contact with the spirit of the host. In some legends, the soul of the deceased remains trapped behind a spirit wall once the Shtriga grabs ahold of it. If you can manage to break that wall, even just scratch at it, then you may be able to persuade the host to take control again.”

 

Scott’s eyebrows raised in confusion. Somehow, this was the most confusing part. “So how would that make the Shtriga to change Stiles back?”

 

“If the host is able to take control, then perhaps they can reverse it themselves. But the host has been deceased- it will struggle to revive itself, and when it does it’s power will not last. You have only one chance to change Stiles back, or both the host and Shtriga will die along with Stiles.”

 

“Fuck!” Scott growled. “Why does everything have to be so difficult?” Deaton placed a hand on Scott’s shoulder to ground the teen.

“We’ll find a way, don’t worry.” He said reassuringly. “Now, let’s get back to the others so I can asses the total damage.” Scott just nodded and then got into his car and starting driving back to Derek’s house.  

 

* * *

 

Isaac had not been able to sleep since Scott had left. He paced outside the house as he awaited his return, keeping guard for the little Stiles while Derek and Stiles both rested inside. Farther off in the woods, he heard large movement. His head snapped towards the sound, staring off into the darkness of the woods as he tried to pick up what it was.

 

“Scott…?” he called out, stepping back towards the door. A figure emerged from the darkness, carrying a crossbow.

 

“Isaac,” Alison greeted quickly, running up to him. “Is Scott here? I need to speak with him.”

 

Isaac tensed, wondering why she would want to speak with her ex. Scott still deeply cared for Alison, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she felt the same way. “Scott’s out at the moment, I’m waiting for him to get back.” He said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why?”

 

Alison glanced down in thought, biting her lip and curling her fingers. She was itching to say something.

 

“I’ve been looking through my dad’s files…” She began, looking back up at him. “I found some pretty sketchy papers.”

 

“Papers about what?” Isaac inquired.

 

“Look, can we talk in the house-” Alison took a step forward and Isaac quickly got in front of her, blocking her way.

 

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He said worriedly. He didn’t want to risk Stiles being seen by her, in case she couldn’t keep silent about it. Scott may not be pleased either.

 

“Why, is Derek home?” She scoffed and moved him asides easily, opening the white door and slipping into the home. “I don’t like him, but he doesn’t scare me. I don’t want to risk anyone overhearing us, Isaac.”  

 

“Allison, wait-”

 

It was the dart that cut off the rest of the sentence. Not from shock or pain, but because it ripped right through Isaac’s neck. His eyes widened with shock and he froze for a moment before collapsing to the floor, blood pooling from the relatively small hole that tore through his neck and spine. He choked on his own blood and struggled to breathe through the shock. Alison’s figure became a blur above him.

 

“Dad, you said you wouldn’t-!”

 

“Relax, Alison. He’s just been temporarily paralyzed. Once the needle comes out he’ll be fine.” Chris Argent explained before making his way into the house. “Take care of Derek, I’ll get Stiles.” he ordered.

 

Alison nodded and stealthily moved through the house to the upstairs where Derek’s room was.  As if summoned, the werewolf stormed out of his room, nearly ripping the door of it’s hinges when he flung it open and leapt at Alison. Immediately she raised her bow, firing one arrow at his chest. Derek snarled and pulled it from his chest, a gush of blood as he removed it. It gave Alison enough time to see her father make his way upstairs and grab another arrow. Derek glanced at Isaac’s still body on the floor, hoping he was still alive, when Alison struck him again in his shoulder. She hated Derek, but not enough to kill him so she held back and shot him carefully to get him down. This time he did not pull out the arrow and continued his attack, striking at her with his razor sharp claws but only catching the fabric of her shirt. Alison fired again, hitting him between two false ribs. Derek lunged once more, this time grabbing her shoulder to pin her down to the floor, but a small cry pierced the night and he instinctively looked up.

 

Stiles screamed out, kicking at Argent and crying out for Derek. “Let. Me. Go!” Stiles roared, every word punctuated with a small fist hitting Argent’s back. Thick tears and streams of snot covered the child’s face as he sobbed, holding his hands for Derek to grasp and save him from the clutches of the thief.

 

“This is for his own good, Hale!” Argent shouted, pointing his gun at Dereks head. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with. We’ll protect him from his-”

 

Derek snarled, cutting him off. He didn’t care, he couldn’t let Stiles go with the hunters. He could protect him himself.

 

“Derek…!” Stiles sobbed, his tiny hand still reaching out for him expectantly. “Please…Derek…!”

 

The wolf cried out and leapt up to reach him, but Argent fired instantly. A burning pain exploded through his shoulder where the bullet hit, bringing him do his knees. Silver. Stiles screamed once he fell, the sight of blood unfamiliar to the child. His head rang and throbbed from the loud noise of the gun, stunning him for a while as the Argent’s made their escape.

 

Derek was forced to watch helplessly as Stiles was rushed from his view. His outstretched arm fell to the floor helplessly. “I’m sorry, Stiles.” He cried, vision blurring with tears.

 

* * *

 

Scott could smell blood from nearly a mile away with the car windows down. He sped down the road, Deaton urging him to slow down so they wouldn’t get into an accident. As Scott pulled into the driveway he rushed into the still open front door to find Isaac collapsed on the floor.

 

“Oh, God, Isaac are you okay?!” Scott asked worriedly, looking over the other werewolf and kneeling besides him. His only reply was a choked noise and light head jerk- that’s when Scott noticed the needle in Isaac’s neck. “C-Can I pull it out?” Scott asked, looking up at Deaton.

 

Deaton leaned over examining it carefully. “Yes, but do it slowly and steadily. It’s paralyzed him.” he instructed before adding, “I’ll tend to Derek.”

  
Derek was leaning against the wall, staring off into space with two silver tipped arrows in his chest and blood trickling down his arm. “They took him,” he whispered, eyes still locked on the door where he last saw the boy, “They took Stiles.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles doesn't seem to like Chris very much, but to be honest, his first impression was not a very good one. Scott and Isaac drama. Drama in general.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the extremely long wait and short chapter. I've just been going through a lot emotionally, and I'm still having computer issues. Today was my last day of school for the summer so I'm going to try and work on this and other fics more.

Stiles was sitting Alison’s lap, sobbing loudly. “Can you keep him quiet?” Chris snapped looking back in the rearview mirror. Stiles began crying out louder and kicking the back of Argents’ seat. “Alison!” Chris barks.

“I’m sorry, Dad, I don’t know how to make him stop.” Alison said loudly above Stiles wailes.

“I do.” Chris grumbled and pulled the car over. He got out and went to the back pulling out a small syringe, filled with an opaque liquid.  

“I want my Mama!” Stiles hiccupped sadly.   

Chris opened the door Alison and Stiles were closest to and instructed Alision to hold Stiles very still. The needle was pushed directly into Stiles’s arm and the child immediately stiffened.

“Was that necessary?” Alison asked sternly as the boy went limp in her arms.

“It’ll only make him sleep for a few hours. There’s no side effects or dangers to it.” Argent explained. As he went to get back in the car he saw the approaching lights of a police car up ahead on the road. “Alison,” he muttered, “stay in the car. Don’t let anyone see Stiles.” She only nodded in agreement.

“Can I help you, officer?” Chris asked as the officer in question approached. Of course, of every officer in Beacon Hills, it had to have been John Stilinski.

“A little car trouble?” John asked looking over at the car.

“Oh, yeah, but it’s fixed now.”

“Good, good.” John said quietly and looked at the car again. “Is Alison in there by any chance?” He could only see the silhouette of a person in the back.

“Why?” Chris asked a bit defensively.

“I just wanted to know if she’d seen Stiles is all.”

“We haven’t seen him since before he disappeared, I’m sorry.” Chris said in a softer, more sincere tone of voice. John sighed, remorse burning in his tired gaze. Anyone could tell by the dark lines under his eyes that this man had not been sleeping. Chris was surprised that he hadn’t taken time off the job, but he could understand the possibility of finding him may be greater. If Alison had gone missing, Chris would not stop searching for her until she was found.

“Just… Just let me know if you see him, okay?” John said hoarsely, trying to keep himself steady. Chris nodded sympathetically. “Of course. Good luck, John. I’m sure he’ll turn up.”

John Stilinski did not reply. He nodded and then waved past Chris to the car before heading back to the police station in his own.

Argent was all too relieved when John left. and with all that over with he went back to his car and drove back to his house.

* * *

 

“Who took Stiles?” Scott asked.

“Your bitch of an ex-girlfriend and her psychotic father.” Isaac growled. Scott shot him a glance meant to appear upset, but only came off as concerned.

“Why would they do that? What would they want with him, anyway?” He muttered, shocked at the idea of Allison kidnapping Stiles. “She wouldn’t do that. Not without a good reason.”

“And what the hell would that be?” Isaac fumed, glancing back at Derek for answers. Derek remained leaning against the wall as if needing support despite his injuries being healed. He remained silent.

Deaton sighed and shook his head. “They must know what’s done this to him. They’re probably after the creature, not Stiles.” He replied slowly. Scott tensed, wondering what he meant.

“You mean like… bait…?” He asked, narrowing his eyes. “No. She wouldn’t do that.”

“Why are you defending her?” Isaac snapped, glaring up at his boyfriend. “She took him from us, Scott, and you weren’t here! They tried to kill us!”

“If she wanted to kill you, she would have done it.” Scott growled. Isaac frowned and looked away, clenching his jaw and trying to hide his hurt expression. Scott quickly regained himself. “I didn’t mean- Isaac, listen, I just… she’s not like that. I’m sorry.” He reached out to comfort him, but Isaac pushed him away. Scott tensed worriedly.

“Isaac, I-”

“SCOTT.” Derek howled, standing up and shoving Deaton asides. “Stiles doesn’t have time for this! We have to get him back now, before it’s too late!”

Scott stared up at him in shock, remaining voiceless for a moment. Isaac continued to look away in discouragement.

“You’re right.” Scott muttered quietly, “I’ll… I’ll see if I can talk to Ali-”

“Scott!” Isaac snapped, glaring back at him again, “Do you really thinks she’s going to hand him over to us after just kidnapping them? She obviously did it for a reason!”

“Then maybe I can find out why,” Scott growled back, “I know she won’t hurt him. She’s probably trying to help him.”

Derek looked down at him and huffed in annoyance. “Stay here and talk it out, then. Nothing will change her mind. I’m going to get Stiles back, and anyone who wants to help can come along now.”

"Derek-" Scott wet to protest bit Derek had left. He looked back at Isaac who had a disgruntled expression. "Isaac, I-"

"I'm going with Derek." The werewolf growled and sped off after Derek.

Scott looked over to Deaton with a defeated expression. "What do I do?" He asked, seeking guidance from the guiding man.

Deaton held out the folder for Scott. "The Argents will need to see these documents before they unknowing do something rash." The man's tone was calm, as always, and Scott only nodded before he bolted after his packmates.

* * *

 

Alison had laird Stiles in her father's bed, tucking him carefully. The bedroom was the safest room besides her dad's office but there was obviously no where to sleep there.

"So how do we get Stiles back to normal again?" Alison asked looking at the sleeping boy worriedly.

Chris carefully spread mountain ash ashes around the bed. "There was only one reported case almost exactly like this ninty years ago. It was in Europe and a women had been turned into a child, just like Stiles, and they killed the Stigoi mort. She remained a child and died a few weeks later of illness, which I'm assuming is connected the them killing the Stigoi Mort."

Alison looked mortified. "Is there a way to make to him normal again?" She asked again.

Chris shrugged heavily, putting the remaining ash away. "There's a legend that the tears of the possesed will cure him but only if the spirit the Stirgi mort possesed is able to fight back will the curse be lifted."

"It's worth a try isn't it?"

**  
**Chris nodded at his daughter, a pleadingly hopeful look in his eye. "I hope so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank you all for sticking with this story and I hope you enjoy it to the very end!
> 
> Kudos and Comments keep me alive through times like these, so they're greatly appreciated.   
> Thank you so much for reading :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Planning the attack.

Scott had caught up with Derek and Isaac, thankfully before they reached the Argent's home. He explained how they could talk to Allison and Chris about what the Stirgi Mort was and to go about catching it. Derek was reluctant to have to negotiate with the like of the Argent's, especially after what they just pulled a few hours previously, and Isaac seemed disappointed he didn't get to have a go at Alison.

Once they reached the house Scott politely knocks on the door. There’s a few minutes of waiting before Alison opens the door, her crossbow loaded and raised. “What do you want?” She asked defensively, hers eyes fixed on Derek as he posed a bigger threat to her.

“We need to talk.” Scott said firmly, holding up the folders for Alison to see.

“What’s that?” She asked lowering her crossbow.

“This is all the information about Stirgo Mort’s and Shtirga’s that Deaton has.” Scott explained. “We need to work together, not against one another, to help Stiles get back to normal.” Scott pulled the folder away when Alison went to grab it. “You should have talk to us instead of storming in and hurting Derek and Isaac. You could have traumatized Stiles pulling a risky, stupid, stunt like that.”

Alison looked down in shame after a moment, “I know,” she admitted. “It wasn't supposed to go like that, my Dad is just used to doing things forcefully.”

“That’s not an excuse, Alison. You’re dad needs to-”

“I need to what, Scott?” Chris asked, opening the door.

Derek answered in a bitter growl, “You need to stop being a forceful asshole and talk before you shoot. You’re going to get someone killed the way you act.”

Chris glared at Derek but gestured for them to come in. They all sat in the living room, a heavy silence waiting on everyone. Scott had handed Chris and Alison the folders to look over. “This is similar to the legend surrounding the Striga.” Chris said quietly. “We’re definitely dealing with a Striga.”

“So what should we do?” Scott asked slowly.

Derek narrowed his eyes suspiciously even still. “I’m going to see Stiles.” he growled.

“He’s asleep.” Allison glared at him in return, “He’s exhausted, Derek-”

The alpha ignored her warning and shoved past her forcefully, not bothering to ask where the boy was. If he was asleep, then he’d be in a bedroom. There weren't many people living here, which meant there weren't many rooms, and Derek could chase Stiles’ scent from a mile away. He found the little boy curled up under the blankets in Chris’ room, shaking slightly and occasionally whimpering.

Derek moved towards him, his immediate reaction to comfort the frightened child, but he froze suddenly. Mountain ash was scattered around the bed, preventing him from going near Stiles. Typical of Argent. Derek stormed downstairs to the living room where everyone had gathered and snarled at Chris, “-demands ashes be picked up-”

Chris grinned at Derek. “Just let him be, Derek. We have to get a plan in action to get Stiles back to normal.”

“He’s shaking up there! He’s scared Chris, he need to be comforted. For God’s sake, he’s a fucking child!” Derek roared, enraged.

Chris went to say something but Alison spoke up first. “It’s fine dad,” she said before turning to Derek. “I’ll clean it up, Derek. Come on.” With that, Derek and Allison ascended upstairs.

Scott sighed heavily, running a hand through his thick hair. “Well, let’s try and focus on a plan right now, yeah?” Everyone left in the room nodded and they sat down.

Scott looked around at all of the familiar faces around the room. It was nice to see everyone together again, but unfortunate that it had to be because of a tragedy. Allison returned shortly, looking slightly grave.

“We have everything we know about the Strigoi Mort here, all we need to do is-” Scott was cut off by a sudden agonizing scream from above. Almost instantly, everyone’s head shot up at the sound of Stiles’ cries.

“What’s his nightmare about, Scott?” Isaac asked quietly. Everyone turned their attention to him, expecting an answer. Scott sighed heavily and shrugged.

“His mom, maybe. Losing her. This was about the age that he… well. He also has a fear of tight spaces.” He answered lightly.

Chris stared at Scott for a long while, his eyes narrowed. “You don’t think…?”

Scott gave him a questioning look before it clicked. “Yeah, I’m starting to.”                                   

Allison glanced between the two of them before she spoke. “Wait. Are you saying that this thing he’s having nightmares about is his mom, which is also the thing that’s turned him into a child?”

“More or less,” Scott answered. “I don’t know what the dream was about, but I for one think that the Striga is using Stiles’ mom’s spirit.”

Isaac groaned and slumped down into his chair. “We better call Erica and Boyd here. We may need their help on this one.” Scott nodded in agreement.

Chris shook his head, “I don’t think we’ll need at many people on this, to be honest. There are five of us, and adding Erica and Boyd may just cluster everything. We should come up with an attack plan and see if they’ll be needed first.” He explained. The hunter took out a map that had the layout of the whole town. “We’re going to have to track this thing and try to pinpoint its location.”

“We should check the cemetery.” Isaac suggested.

 

The others looked over at Isaac, pondering over the idea. It was the most logical choice, considering that it was where the dead were located. Perhaps something such as the Strigoi Mort would be lurking there. 

 “Okay,” Scott said, “Let’s try for the cemetery.”

“We should also check on the hospital, it may be sucking out the life of dying patients while it searches for Stiles.” Chris suggested as well.

Allison nodded in agreement. “Hospital first. Then cemetery.” Isaac narrowed his eyes, upset that his idea had been casted aside for plan B.

 

“Well, maybe to cover more ground we should get into groups.” Scott said, looking around. “Chris and Allison, you can check the hospital grounds while Isaac and I check the cemetery. Derek will stay behind and guard Stiles in case anything should happen to come here. We can all call to each other if we run into it, how does that sound?”

Chris thought it over for a moment and nodded, “Good thinking Scott, I like that idea.”

Alison still had doubts, “Wouldn't it be easier if we were all together?”

“Not necessarily,” Chris answered. “The hospital and cemetery aren’t too far apart so getting there won’t be to difficult. I’m sure we can hold the Striga off for a bit before the other party arrives.”

After a moment of collective silence, Scott spoke. “How exactly do we go about getting rid of this thing?”

“There are several myths about how to kill it. In Catholic legend, the shtriga can be destroyed using holy water with a cross in it, and in Islamic myth it is said that shtriga can be sent away or killed by reciting verses from the Qur'an, specifically Ayatul Kursi 225 sura Al-Baqara, and spitting water on it.” Chris said with a doubtful tone. “Unfortunately, I have no records of how to kill this thing exactly.”  
  
Scott groaned and hid his face in his hands. “Great. I suppose we should get Deaton to go to a priest and ask for holy water.”

Alison gave Scott a quizzical look. “We have holy water here.”

* * *

 

It took a while for Stiles to escape his nightmarish realm. The boy lay quivering in Derek’s arms now, pale and exhausted. His hazel eyes were wide with fear and constantly glancing around the room, making sure that there was nothing there while Derek tried to calm him down. The little boy looked over the man he had last seen bleeding, only now he there was no blood and he didn't have a scratch on him. Stiles hugged Derek tightly, as if he could disappear forever at any moment. “I want to see my mama and papa, Derek.” He whimpered into the man’s shirt. “I wanna go home.”

Derek gently rubbed the boy’s back in a calming way. “I know, Stiles. Just a bit longer okay? After everything’s over we can take you home and you can tell your parents what a brave boy you’ve been while you were away.”

“I wanna go home now, Derek!” Stiles cried, clutching his shirt even tighter. “I want to see Mama! She’s sick!”

Derek sighed deeply. He really wasn’t good with children. “I’m sorry. She’s… she’s going to be just fine, Stiles. We just need to take care of you for a while for your parents.” The bitter lie stung even him, but if Stiles was able to return to his normal self then it wouldn’t matter. Slightly reassured by his words, Stiles nodded slowly and sniffed.

“Derek…?” He asked quietly, glancing up at him with a shy expression.

“Yes, Stiles?” The Alpha said softly.

“…I’m hungry.”

****  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a few more chapters left you guys! Excited??? I am! 
> 
> As always thank you so much for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, had a lot of issues to work through.

 

After letting Derek know the plan, the rest set out in search of the Strigoi while Derek remained with Stiles. Scott and Isaac were assigned to the graveyard, where they began searching up and down every row of graves around the nearby forest. “I don’t think we’re gonna find it here.” Isaac said quietly, his gaze constantly shifting while his wolf-ears listened for any noise.

“Yeah, I don’t sense anything around. Nothing living, at least.” Scott muttered.

Isaac sighed and leaned against Scott’s back. “I wish this could all just be over with.” he groaned tiredly. “I’m sick of all this running around and tip toeing around everything.”

Scott nodded slowly but kept his gaze fixed on the dark pines ahead of him. “I know. This isn’t fair on Stiles, either.” he sighed. Isaac remained unusually silent for a while before he coughed quietly and turned back to face Scott. When Scott looked at him again, he noticed an oddly sad expression on him through the darkness.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier. It’s just… you and Allison, you don’t… I know I’m not like her, but…”

“Hey,” Scott interrupted softly. “You don’t have to compare yourself to Alison. If I still wanted Alison I’d still be with her, but I’m not. I’m with you. And I love you, Isaac.”

Isaac shook his head softly and sighed. “I’m not like her.” he said again more quietly.

“You don’t have to be like her. I don’t want you to be like her, Isaac. I only want you.” Scott murmured, and before he could protest again he gently pulled him into a kiss.

Isaac’s eyes widened for a second but he quickly wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer. They remained this way in peaceful bliss for some time until Scott’s phone went off in his pocket. Scott groaned but took it anyway when he saw it was an urgent call from Allison.

* * *

 

The Argents were strictly business as they made their way through the hospital. Chris and Allison checked the pediatric ward first but there was no sign of the monster or anything that could be deemed supernatural. Really, the hospital appeared as it always did- gloomy and quiet. Neither of them had any word from Scott or Isaac, so they didn’t think they’d found anything at the graveyard either.

It was beginning to seem like a waste of time, until the lights in the hallway began to flicker erratically. Chris immediately tensed and began looking through the rooms for any sign of the Strigoi, and Alison ran to do the same. At first, she thought that it was only a simple light problem. But when she arrived at the room of a dying child, she saw it.

The monster was smaller than they had expected. It’s skin was tinged a dark bruised blue, its shoulders sagged, and the head was bowed above the sickly child. As it opened its mouth, needle pointed fangs were revealed. Alison stood frozen in both terror and curosity, wondering for a second if this child would have the same fate of Stiles, but the creature didn’t move and the child didn’t change. The only change was the sound of the heart monitor beeping louder and faster as the creature remained posed above it.   

Chris, stunned only for moment by the appearance of the creature, quickly entered the room and splashed it with the bottle of holy water. The creature stepped back abruptly and made a horrible inhuman gargling sound with it’s throat as the water burned at it’s flesh. He slashed at him desperately with long, unkempt nails, but Chris easily dodged. His hand went to his gun instinctively and Alison ran inside to lunge at the creature, prepared to knock it down and capture. She jumped, arms outstretched to attack, but before her hands could even graze the putrid skin of the creature it vanished in a thick cloud of grey smoke which smelled horribly of sulfur.

Alison did not cry out when she hit the cold floor instead, but still her father was instantly at her side. “Are you hurt?” he demanded, “Did it hurt you, Alison?”

“No,” she answered covering his nose, “it just pushed me.” Chris quickly helped her up before checking on the child’s monitor. It’s heart rate was weaker than before so he hit the nurse call button and was made sure he and Alison were gone by the time anyone showed up.

As soon as they were distant enough, Alison grabbed her phone and called Scott, explaining to him what had happened with the Strigoi.

“What happened to it, then?” Scott asked quickly, his voice still somehow a sort of calm.

“I don’t know,” Alison replied truthfully, glancing back at her father as he regained his breath. “It just… it just vanished. Scott, I don’t think it’s in the hospital now but… it could be anywhere! Keep an eye out, okay?”

Scott nodded by remembered that she couldn’t see him so he swiftly replied with a yes.

* * *

 

Derek and Stiles sat at the kitchen table, eating cheeseburgers that Derek was able to quickly put together for the boy. Stiles was happily eating his food, talking to Derek about how brave his dad is by being a police officer. It was cute to say the least and he nodded every so often to let the boy know he was listening.

Suddenly a thick, horrible stench filtered through the house. It smelled of rotten eggs, very similar to scent that was clinging to Stiles when he arrived. Derek quickly stood up and shielded the small boy, who was now covering his nose in disgust. “What’s that smell?” Stiles grumbled.

“I dunno.” Derek answered, but he knew what it was. The Striga had found them. The were quickly pulled his phone out and called Scott. “The striga is here, it’s found us.” Without waiting for Scott to reply he hung up and took battle stance.

A thick fog began to fill the room, the lights flickering until they blew out. Stiles whimpered and clung to the Alpha’s leg. Derek placed on a hand on Stiles’ head, “Stiles, I need you hide under the table, okay? You have to stay hidden and out of sight.”

Stiles gripped Derek’s leg tighter shaking his head. “No, I don’t want you to go, Derek. I’m scared…” The child cried.

“I know, Stiles.” Derek said softly and pulled him away to get eye to eye with the child. “But you have to be strong for me. Try to be brave like your dad.” The boy nodded before he crawled under the table and curled into himself.

Derek shifted almost immediately and snarled at the looming threat as it approached. He looked at it with his red Alphic eyes, but he was thrown off by it’s unexpected appearance. The beast wasn’t a beast at all, but some form of human morphed creature draped in darkness. It screeched, an inhuman sound that nearly deafened him, and he howled back. Derek jumped, hoping that it would go after him rather than stiles, but it only ran towards the table.

Derek grabbed it’s arm but it didn’t seem to bleed when his claws sunk into violet flesh. It didn’t even make a sound of pain, but it spun around and grabbed his jaw. He bit down on it’s clawed hand and shook violently, though in doing so he had exposed himself to another blow to his side. He let go and snarled, and immediately it began to head towards Stiles again.

Derek flung himself at it again, refusing to allow it near Stiles once more, and pushed her into the wall. It’s head fell back and cracked the window behind it, so Derek grabbed it again and slammed it into the glass. The window shattered around them, sending glistening shards into the creature’s and Derek’s skin. Larger pieces of glass sliced at their skins and fell to the floor, shattering into tinier pieces. The monster pushed him away and with surprising strength threw him to the ground on top of the glass.

In that moment of shock, the creature took it’s chance and headed towards Stiles. Derek growled again, but before he could get up he heard a tiny squeak from under the table.

  
“…Mom?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters left.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Striga is defeated and Stiles is returned to normal.  
> Chapter contains an intimate shower scene between Derek and Stiles.

Stiles sat under the table, looking up at the creature. The boy’s face was a mixture between relief and shock. As he crawled out from his little sheltered spot and toward the creature, a strong force pushed him away, knocking him to the floor. “Mama!” Stiles whimpered as he fell. He got up and moved toward her again.

 

“Stiles, don’t.” Derek growled as he tried to push himself up from the floor. He felt so weak, like all his energy had been drained from his body.

 

Stiles paid no attention to Derek ‘s request as he approached her. “Mama!” He sniffled.

 

“Stop, Stiles.” A soft, yet stern, woman’s voice echoed through the room. The creature’s features began to change; the blackness turned bone white and the greys to light silvers. It was beautiful, angelic even. The change was so sudden that Derek was thrown back by it, though Stiles seemed to hardly even care.

 

“Mommy…” Stiles whimpered as he took another step. He held his arms out like a child does when a child wants hugged or picked up. Stiles’s is shaking with his soft sobs.

 

The woman moves a few steps closer before crouching down in front of her crying child. She hesitantly reaches out, nearly touching Stiles’ wet cheek, before pulling the hand away. “I’m sorry Stiles.” She whispered in a choked up voice. “I will always love you and your Papa.”

 

Stiles moves again to embrace her but she shakes her head and he stops abruptly. “I wanna hug mama.” he cries. “I missed you lots and lots. Why can’t I hug you, mommy?” His words were broken up as he cried. “You’re not in the bed with wires tubes and stuff, why can’t I hug you now?”

 

Isaac held out his cell phone for Stiles to use. “Here.”

Stiles grateful took the phone and called his dad. “Dad?”

 

“Stiles!” His dad’s voice full of surprise. “Thank God, you’re okay. You are, aren’t you?” He quickly asked.

 

“Yeah, Dad.” Stiles sniffled. “I’m all right.”

 

John sighed with relief and his voiced seemed to crack up slightly. “I was so worried, buddy. I don’t know… I mean… God, I was starting to think…”

  
“I’m safe Dad.” Stiles said. “I’m ready to go home.”

Derek can hear the woman start to cry. “I’ve missed you so much, Stiles.” She says in a tone that Derek can only describe as motherly. “I miss you both so much. I wish I could have stayed with you longer.”

 

The front door of the house opens with a long creak as everyone returns to the house. Scott is the first one to enter the kitchen. He’s shifted and so is Isaac. “Don’t attack.” Derek barked as he tried again to stand but failed. Chris crossed the room and assisted Daron to his feet.

 

Scott’s eyes grew wide when he saw the woman. “Who is that?” Isaac asked suddenly confused. That thing looked nothing like the Striga they were looking for.

 

“It’s…” Scott begins but he chokes on his words. He transforms back into his human self as he takes a step forward to make sure it’s what he thinks it is. “It’s Stiles’ mother.”

 

As the others talked the woman and boy in the middle of the kitchen paid none of them any mind.

 

“Mama…” Stiles sobbed, chocolate eyes wet with tears, “I wanna go home. I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

 

Claudia pursed her lips, about to speak again, but only a strangled sound came out. Her skin was becoming ashen grey once more, peeling back slightly to reveal only darkness.

 

“I love you so much, Stiles.” She said again, voice shaken with grief. “You’ll be home soon, I promise. Just close your eyes and we’ll be there again.”

 

Stiles nodded and shut his eyes as told. Suddenly anxious again, Derek jumped to his feet. “No, wait-” He cried, but the creature had already grabbed a nearby shard of glass. Stiles remained obediently still with his eyes closed, completely vulnerable.

 

Derek heard a sudden cry of pain and there was a flash of blinding, almost heavenly, light. The creature fell back, a long shard of glass sticking out of it’s chest. It’s body convulsed as it cried out, but it’s voice began to drown out as it’s skin faded into a pile of dust. Stiles collapsed the instant the creature had vanished, but the others were to transfixed by the sight of the monster fading away to notice.

 

It wasn’t until there was nothing left that Derek ran over to stiles and looked under the table to make sure he was okay.

 

Stiles was lying in a crumpled heap on the kitchen floor, limbs folded in odd and twisted angles, and covered in a thin layer of ashy powder. He was no longer a child. The teenager opened his eyes and groaned achingly. “I feel like I was put on a taffy puller.” There was a brief pause, “Oh God, why am I naked? What the hell am I covered in?” Stiles slowly sat up and started to pat himself down.

 

Everyone in the room seemed to instantly relax and breathed a sigh of relief. Derek made his way over to Stiles and helped him up. “It’s a long story, we’ll tell once you get cleaned up.”

 

The awkward teen nodded and let himself get lead to the Argent’s guest room by Derek. Stiles convinced Derek to get in with him, claiming he needed help getting his back and argued Derek could benefit from a shower too. They cleaned each other; no intimacy was lost between them in the act. Derek’s strong hands gently cleaned Stiles’ pale skin and worked out his lover’s knotted muscles. Stiles’ own sedulous hands returning the favor as he rid Derek’s body of blood, glass, and dust.

 

* * *

 

 

After the shower, Stiles -wearing only a towel-  and Derek - wearing the same clothes as before -  regrouped with the others in the living room. Chris gave them a disapproving, borderline disgusted, look as he noticed they had both showered. Alison was frowning a broken picture frame; Chris, Victoria, and Alison stood happily together in front of a large tree. It must have gotten broken in the fight. Scott and Isaac were sitting next to each other on the couch, it seemed like Scott was explaining something to the other boy but had fallen silent when Scott and Derek came in.

 

“So…” Stiles said slowly, drawing the word out as he rocked on his heels. “Who’s gonna tell me what happened?” He asked as he made his way to the loveseat. Stiles’ patted the spot next to him for Derek to sit.

 

Scott spoke up first. “What’s the last you can remember?”

 

Stiles chewed his bottom lip in thought for a moment. “I remember walking into the woods, but I don’t know why. It feels like a really vivid dream honestly. Like it didn’t really happen, but I know it did…”

 

“Erica found you in the woods a few days ago. You were missing for three days before that.” Scott said. “Do you remember anything from when you were, uh, little?”

 

He shook his head. “No, I can’t remember anything. My head just feels kinda fuzzy…”

 

Derek wrapped an arm around his boyfriend’s waist and pulled him close protectively. “Do you need a doctor?”

 

“No, I’ll be fine.” He said reassuringly. “Can you guys tell me what happened exactly?”

 

“You were turned back into a child by a Striga Mort, a type of spiritual vampire.” Chris answered stiffly. “It used your mother’s spirit to get to you and try to suck the life energy out of you. Your mother was able to conjure enough strength to kill the Striga before it was able to get to you.” Stiles could tell it wasn't the whole story but he'd accept it for now.

 

Everyone seemed to look to Stiles, watching his reactions as he took in the news. Stiles had a distressed look on his face. “My mother’s spirit?” He asked, wanting to make sure it was true.

 

Scott answered first. “Yeah, Stiles. It was really her.”

 

Stiles could feel tears prickle his eyes as he thought back to his mother. “Did she-” he paused and rubbed his eyes, “Did she say anything?”

 

“She said she loved you.” Derek said softly. “She said she loved you and your father, and that she misses you both.”

  
Stiles finally let his emotions spill over, his shoulder shaking as he cried softly. “I miss her so much.” He sobbed. The teen turned over and held Derek tightly until he calmed down. “Does my dad know you’ve found me? He must be worried sick.” He sniffled.

Isaac held out his cell phone for Stiles to use. “Here.” 

 

Stiles grateful took the phone and called his dad. “Dad?” 

 

“Stiles!” His dad’s voice full of surprise. “Thank God, you’re okay. You are, aren’t you?” He quickly asked. 

 

“Yeah, Dad.” Stiles sniffled. “I’m all right.”

 

John sighed with relief and his voiced seemed to crack up slightly. “I was so worried, buddy. I don’t know… I mean… God, I was starting to think…” 

  
“I’m safe Dad.” Stiles said. “I’m ready to go home.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue will be posted on Halloween :)


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Stilinski family back together (more or less), they take Derek to visit Claudia's grave a week after the whole ordeal.

** [One Week Later]  **

 

The wind gently rustled the leaves on the trees, the only noise that penetrated the air. John, Stiles, and Derek stood in front of Claudia’s grave stone. Stiles was gripping a bouquet of white lilies and red roses. He bent down and gently placed them in front of the cold stone, lingering for a moment as he stared at the stone name. 

 

“Hi mom…” Stiles said shakily. “I know it’s not your birthday, but me and Pa wanted to see ya.” He turned and looked over at Derek. “Brought Derek along this time.” The Alpha squeezed his hand comfortingly. “I wanted you to meet him. I kept promising I’d bring him around.”

 

Derek glanced over at Stiles with a small smile. Since he’d ‘woken up’, he’d been desperate to visit his mother. Although he had no memories of his time trapped in his younger form, he continued to ask Derek to visit with him and his father. The Sheriff had been hysterical when he saw that Stiles was alive and well, though the detective side of him still tried to understand why he’d gone missing. However, the joy of simply having his son back was enough to subdue those concerns, even enough for him to happily be near Derek again. 

 

“He’s handsome, isn’t he?” Stiles said with a weak smile, “I’ve been meaning to visit more often… I… I…” Instinctively, Derek wrapped his arm lovingly around Stiles’ waist and pulled him close. Tears welled up in the younger man’s eyes, but they never fell once his sleeve quickly wiped them away. “I miss you, Mom.” 

 

Stiles moved besides Derek again, hiding his face against his shoulder as he slowly relaxed again. Derek held him protectively, though he knew now that the creature that had taken hold of his mother’s spirit was destroyed now. They were safe again, for now. And they would relish that for as long as they could. 

 

John placed a hand on Stiles’ back as he looked at his wife’s grave. “I always knew you were a strong willed woman.” He commented with a small smile. “To think you could defeat some monster, even after…” The sheriff choked up a bit, tears brimmed in his eyes, “everything that happened before hand. It’s good to know you’ve been lookin after us, Claudia.” 

 

Stiles was crying again and he swayed toward his dad and held him. “I miss her so much, dad.” He sniffled against his father’s jacket. “I wish I could remember seeing her.” 

 

“She was beautiful,” Derek said, “like an angel.” 

 

Both Stilinski’s looked over at the werewolf and gave him similarly sad smiles. “Thank you, Derek. For protecting Stiles, and for everything you’ve done, and for everything you’ll continue to do.” John said and waved the man over for three way hug. 

 

“One big happy family.” Stiles said shaky voice and a sappy grin. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said it'd be posted on Halloween but long story short, I went to a party on Halloween and when I got home my older sister (who thinks she owns the world for some reason) took the computer and wouldn't let me have for literally ten minutes to finish the epilogue! 
> 
> But anyway, thank you so much for those who stuck with me to the end of this. I feel very accomplished to have gotten it done, even with all the emotional and physical stuff I'd been dealt with. I love you all, thanks so much reading and commenting.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments help a lot :)  
> Thank you for reading.


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